Finger Paint
by cloudofcalm
Summary: When Cordy reads out a prophecy, all the kiddos from different realities who resulted from different 'ships turn up at Wolfram and Hart
1. CHOCOLATE AND BOREDOM

A/N: This is a plot bunny that struck with me when I a) saw gidgetgirl's site, Barefoot All Over, and her generator thingumie, and I think Pyro Bear had the same idea. However, I couldn't find it as a challenge, so I decided to write this.  
  
Sidenote, as yet, this is just faintly AU. Be warned. things shall be explained, in the future.  
  
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* * * * The 'Real' 'Verse* * * * * *  
  
Cordelia Chase was beyond bored. Bored was a line way off in the distance, past dirty books and in depth discussions on strands of Sumerian between Angel, Wes, and Giles, who was doing the 'visiting' thing. Blondie the Vampire Slayer was off in Paris, doing something fun, and wild that she generally hadn't done with all the 'Only One' vibes that had been going on.  
  
Giles had brought with him one Willow Rosenberg, who was getting in deep science-y stuff with Fred as they were speaking, and Xander, who showed a real aptitude for Lara Croft, even without one eye, and was going one on one with Gunn, in Gunn's office of the big Wolfram and Hart.  
  
She was uber bored, bored-er than she'd been as a Higher Being, bored-er than she'd been stuck with her ass on an astral plane while she'd waited to be woken up from a coma, bored-er than she remembered being in Tuscany on the totally bogus trip her parents had taken her on, maybe the year or two years before they'd had that little trouble with the IRS. As it was, Cordelia Chase didn't care. She was so in search of something to do, she had alphabetised the files, something Angel had been bugging her to do, ever since she'd started filing them in her own order, under the amount of money each client would bring in, which had actually not been changed even under the big move to Wolfram and Hart.  
  
Harmony was still technically Angel's secretary, despite the fact that her complete vacancy was a liable problem. Cordelia therefore, did generalised stuff, though they didn't really have a term for her yet. She was currently painting her toe-nails in her office. It was a very nice office, the glass was tinted for Angel's sake, but it had a gorgeous view of L.A at night, and a few expensive, very soft armchairs, a small couch, a marble topped desk, and a cushy desk chair, which she liked very much. It was just there weren't the numerous cases and files atop her desk that there were in Angel's, Fred's lab, Gunn's department, Wes's library, and Lorne's section- couldn't really be called an office. There was nothing to do.  
  
She sighed, and tossed down the nail file, slipped off the desk chair, and padded down the hallway, admiring her newly painted pink bare toes as she did so, until she came to the open door behind which Giles and Wesley were 'discussing' prophecies, in Angel's office. She wrinkled her nose, raising one eyebrow in a patented Queen Cordelia facial gesture, her brown eyes disgusted. What they found vaguely interesting about all these prophecies was beyond her.  
  
She turned around, and crossed back to her own office, booting up the laptop sitting on the desk, suppressing a yawn. With a little grin, and a glance over her shoulder, Cordy tapped in a few choice key words into Angel's carefully set up 'prophecy bank'.  
  
'Shopping'  
  
'Maincure'  
  
'Chocolate' - That turned up a surprising number, actually. Some of them icky, some of them way up there with the Kama Sutra in sexy, and some of them already true.  
  
'Sex' - Again, loads there. She noted that 'Darla/Angel' was under it, and idly doodled a yuck face on the pad beside the slim computer. Darla and Angel, one on one. That one definitely rated way up on her 'ickometer'. She carefully sidestepped the "Connor/Cordelia' one. That was only known between her, Angel, and the doomed deity who had used her body to bone Connor.  
  
She was back to bored again, when a new prophecy flashed up on screen. 'Meanings', it had written across the top, in Angel's careful script- he'd scanned in a whole bunch of his translations, and this one was one of them.  
  
Unfortunately, he'd only scanned in notes for this one. There was a whole chunk of something, and then Cordelia's eyes focused on the words  
  
'Possibility of children'. She thought of the vampire, who hid behind specialised glass, and couldn't see the daylight. Of a little baby, and miniature hockey sticks that only she and he remembered. Of the sweet milky smell, and lying side by side on his bed, with the baby sound asleep in the middle. Her heart gave out a little pang.  
  
There was a whole 'nother page of something after that, but then a short little section with a bunch of weird words. Cordelia muttered them aloud under her breath.  
  
"Ish-tar, ah-meh, jos-eth, ho-grith, mart-ek." No harm, no foul, right?  
  
******Several other 'Verses******  
  
A large swirl of wind, rushing faster than anything they had seen opened up before them. Before they could do anything, the children were swept up, and vanished, as the portals closed, leaving nothing behind.  
  
*****The Real 'Verse*******  
  
An extremely large portal appeared in Cordelia's office, snatching up papers from her desk, and tossing them around the room, as people began to step forward into the room, filling the massive room.  
  
"Oh," Cordelia said slowly, looking from little face to little face, as a whole host of children stared at her.  
  
"Crap," she mouthed to herself.  
  
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A/N: And so it begins! Let me know what you think, any ideas, hints and such like, hit me with them.  
  
REVIEW!!!! 


	2. MY DADDY'S BETTER THAN YOUR DADDY

A/N: Okay, next chapter. Find out who the kiddos are.  
  
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Cordelia blinked, and checked once more that she hadn't taken a sip of coffee laced with blood meant for Angel. The room still had small people in it, lots. Cordelia, with a growing sense of disbelief, and dizziness, counted them. There were five. All staring at her.  
  
It was a stalemate. If she talked to them, it proved they were real, and not some hallucination cooked up by way too much boredom and chocolate. They weren't going to talk, because obviously, they weren't real. There were not ten eyes fixed on her. In fact, Cordelia Chase decided, she was not insane. She was merely a little bit-  
  
A little girl squirmed a little, and looked up at Cordelia with big brown eyes. Bobbing up and down, her dungaree-d legs firmly crossed, she fidgeted, making little squeaks, before finally, she came out and addressed the tall person who had gone white.  
  
"I gotta go to the bathroom," she announced.  
  
They were real.  
  
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"Cordelia?" Angel tapped at the door timidly, kicking himself for sounding so puppy-dog hopeful. Ever since his one time secretary-possible lover- second mother to his son- had returned to a state of conciousness, he'd not been exactly up on the office etiquette. It didn't help that his undead heart kept doing little annoying flips every time he saw her.  
  
There was no answer. He frowned, thoughtfully. He could either go in, and see if she was okay, not slipping into another coma, or he could stay out, and respect her privacy if she was in, even though she always answered the door.  
  
He turned the handle, and pushed open the door. His first thought was chaos. That, and insanity. There were five children crowded into Cordelia's office, all staring at her, as she sat on the floor, her head in her hands.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" a little girl asked, just as he walked in. She cocked her head on one side, sticking her lower lip out in concentration as she tried to work out what was wrong. With a little wriggle to set things right, she hitched up the strap of her dungarees, which was sliding down her sleeve.  
  
"Maybe we should poke her?" another little girl offered, with an interested tone.  
  
"No poke," the other girl shook her head, sending dark bunches of hair swishing. "She looks sad. Like Mommy when Daddy tries to cook dinner."  
  
"Maybe she's medi..uh medi.. um medicating?" the only little boy in the room spoke up. "My mommy sits on the floor when she does that."  
  
"Cordelia?" Angel said weakly. His ex-seer's head lifted, and her brown eyes, filled with panic, then relief fixed on his in a grateful expression.  
  
"Angel, help," she said faintly.  
  
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"So you did what exactly?" he raised his eyebrows at her, in a questioning expression. Cordelia shrugged wildly.  
  
"I don't know! One minute, I'm alone, the next minute, baby boom," she answered, a frustrated note in her voice. 'If I knew how it happened, they'd be back where they came from by now."  
  
"I guess we should work out who they are," Angel mused, looking aroundat the previously pristine office.  
  
"You do that," Cordelia muttered, with a roll of the eyes. "I'd settle for, 'back to Oz, munchkins."  
  
"My mommy calls me that," the little boy looked up, alert. He blushed, and looked away, suddenly shy.  
  
"Who's your mommy?" Angel pushed gently, feeling awkward as he squatted down to the little boy's level.  
  
"My mommy is Mommy," the little boy gave him a surprised look, and folded his arms. "She doesn't have 'nother name." Angel sighed with impatience.  
  
"Okay, who are you?" he asked. The little boy giggled, as the sun hit the vamp-proof glass, and lit up his hair to a rich red.  
  
"I'm Tad," he said from behind his hands, still giggling uncontrollably. "My Daddy calls me Tadpole, but Mommy calls me Wolfie. My really real name is Thaddeus Daniel Osbourne, only Thaddeus is stinky." He wrinkled his nose. "Daddy says he always got called Oz, so me being Tad is neat." He lisped a little over his 's's.  
  
"I think I have a winner," Angel tossed over his shoulder to Cordelia. "Somehow, I think this little guy is Willow and Oz's son."  
  
"Uh, Angel? Willow's gay now?" Cordelia raised one eyebrow. "Please say that didn't pass you by."  
  
Tad scampered across the office, and hid behind the drapes, still giggling.  
  
"Next," Cordelia rolled her eyes. There was a little tug on Angel's trouser leg. He looked down into the adorable little face of the girl with big brown eyes, and two pigtails of dark brown hair. He bent down. She beckoned one tiny finger, and he leant over.  
  
She cupped her hand around his ear, and yelled, 'Hi!"  
  
He grimaced, holding his ear then looked back at her and smiled .She was wriggling with excitement, and grinned back, showing little white teeth.  
  
"What's your name?" he asked gently.  
  
"My name is Abby Giles, and I live at number 12, Farlingaye Road, London, CS4 XJT. My telephone number is 0207 859 844, 'cept when me, and Mommy and Daddy go stay in 'Merica," she rattled off ultra fast, then gave him a sweet little smile. "Are we in 'Merica now?"  
  
"Yeah," Angel nodded, his lips still crooked in a dopey grin. "What's your parents' names?"  
  
"My Mommy's name is Jenny Giles, and my Daddy is Rupert, only Daddy's friends call him 'Giles'," Abby confided. The faint English accent coloured her words, except when she came out with an Americanism, and then she sounded distinctly American. It was very odd.  
  
"Where are we?" Another girl addressed him, directly. Her light brown eyes fixed on his, and a little smile curled on her lips, unreadable.  
  
"Wolfram and Hart," he answered, looking at her. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Gaia," Gaia answered. She considered what to tell him. Mommy said there were different worlds, and she figured she'd fallen in one. This could be one where Mommy was the enemy. "I'm Gaia Wyndham Pryce," she said finally, giving them her full name.  
  
One child stepped forward, a snotty look on her cut-glass features, her arms folded across her pretty dress, and fixed Angel with a look that felt very familiar to the vampire. He glanced at Cordelia.  
  
"This kiddo is yours," he addressed her, with a wry grin. The little girl stamped her foot.  
  
"She can't be Wyndham Pryce," she declared, scowling at the other girl, with all the ferocity of a kindergarten prom queen. "I've been standing here for five whole minutes, and I'm bored! Where's Mommy and Daddy?" she demanded. She flicked Angel an annoyed glance. "Go fetch them." Her big brown eyes were just as imperious as her mother's, but there was something about her face structure, and the shape of her mouth which reminded him of someone else.  
  
Angel was a little taken aback. "What's your name?" he asked. The little girl's chin tilted upwards, with a challenging, yet uncertain stubborness  
  
"Grace Wyndham Pryce," she said proudly, crystal clear tones in her voice. Cordelia's jaw dropped.  
  
"That's Wes's daughter?" she spluttered with laughter. "That?" Grace scowled. Mommy was only ever mean to people they didn't like. This couldn't be Mommy. Mommy was beautiful, like a princess.  
  
"She kind of looks like my Mommy," Grace said thoughtfully, her head on one side, soft brown hair spilling over her shoulders, just like Mommy did. She looked Cordelia up and down in a patented Queen C stare then gave her a sympathetic look. "Only my Mommy has nicer hair, and is prettier, and would never let her nails get that messy." Cordelia looked down defensively at her nails.  
  
"I was in a coma," she muttered to herself.  
  
"Time out," Gaia stated, raising one eyebrow at Grace. "I am so a Wyndham Pryce." Not really, she said silently to herself, but she still was one.  
  
Grace shook her head. "Nope. My daddy calls me his princess, and my mommy his queen. There's only one princess in the story," she said decidedly. "Maybe your daddy is pretending to be my daddy."  
  
"How do you know your daddy isn't pretending to be mine?" Gaia shot back, her hands balled on her hips. It was, Angel thought dazedly, a very reasonable, logical argument for a five year old.  
  
"My daddy is the proper Wyndham Pryce, and I don't have any uncles," Grace stated, her speech becoming more and more crystal like, and Wesley-in- Sunnydale like. She folded her arms over her chest, and scowled.  
  
"Who are you?" Angel called to the last little girl, thinking hopefully that if he ignored the other two, they'd stop arguing. Like that will work, he thought ruefully.  
  
"I'm Bo. Who the hell are you?" Bo demanded, not stopping a happy note sneaking in. If Momma wasn't there to yell at her for cussing, Bo figured she might as well take advantage. She folded her arms, then glanced at the prissy little girl, with fluffy hair. She unfolded her arms.  
  
"Faith's," Cordelia stated, point blank. "Who is your daddy, Bo?"  
  
Bo wrinkled her nose. "Does a man with sperm count as a daddy?" she asked, repeating what Momma said every time someone asked about Bo's daddy. Bo didn't really know what sperm was, just that one of Momma's friends said that it tasted like stinky cheese. Maybe her daddy had had really good cheese?  
  
"Whoa," Cordelia breathed in a whisper, her eyebrows shooting skywards. She looked, concerned at Angel.  
  
"Uh, that's nice?" he offered. Cordelia shook her head. Privately, she wondered what exactly she'd just signed them up for, as she looked from innocent faces, to scowls, to downright sneaky. Cordelia groaned. She'd give anything to be bored right now.  
  
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A/N: Thanks go to gidgetgirl who helped to create Gaia and Grace, and provided the picture of Abby shortly to go up on my webpage. If you want to see pics of the kiddos, go check it out! Also, if you like alternate universe kiddos, go check out Little Hero, the story of Bryn, Buffy and Angel's daughter, with magical powers, and all her parents' stubbornness. 


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